This invention relates to a hopper gate and actuating mechanism for bottom-unloading vehicles and is particularly directed to an improved hopper gate and pneumatic actuating mechanism for road trailers used for the transport and controlled unloading of bulk loads.
The discharge of bulk materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone and the like from a bottom-discharge vehicle can be difficult to control once started in that the gate mechanism, such as swinging doors, cannot be closed against the weight of the load of material being discharged. This shortcoming of many bottom-unloading mechanisms can be important if the load discharged is a construction material such as sand, gravel or crushed stone which is desired to be spread evenly to a uniform thickness over a predetermined distance on a road bed or construction site.
It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved bottom-discharge gate mechanism for use with road trailers.
It is another object of my invention to provide an improved bottom-discharge gate mechanism of simple construction and positive operation which will controllably discharge bulk materials.
Another object of my invention is the provision of a pneumatic actuating mechanism which obviates the need for a relatively more expensive and more complex piston-cylinder assembly.